Apen Shephard
Apen Shephard is one of the main protagonists of The Silver Eye. The exiled king of Cedulan, Apen is on a quest to take his country back. Biography Apen Shephard was born in Cedulan to Joshua and Isis Shephard in the year 858. His father had been hoping they would have a boy to inherit the throne, and he was given a very thorough education. His studies were encouraged with bribes of chocolate. Isis Shephard died a year after his birth for unrevealed reasons, and only a year later he meets Bhatair Hollingsworth for the first time. Apen is not quite two years old, but thanks to his dad's rigorous training, he unwittingly manages to one-up Bhatair by reciting all of Bhatair's ancestors starting from the time of Augustine. Later, when he shows kindness to the heartbroken king of Bellingrath, Bhatair tells him that he could end the conflict between the Shephards and Hollingsworths and become a great ruler. When Apen was nine, Bhatair is killed in an attack at an amphitheater, and just a few weeks later Joshua Shephard is killed in a library. In an unknown period of time, Apen is crowned king in Cedulan, but he doesn't reign long before he gives up his kingship and country for unconfirmed reasons and is executed by being thrown into the Deadlands to be killed by Weavers. The Weavers don't kill him, however, and he survives a journey west along with his horse, Ansam. In Gallitan, he is taken in by a farming family called the Alvarados, and is slowly nursed back to health. When he regains consciousness, he is angry and depressed at the discovery that his horse has been sold and the discovery that he is now in a completely different country where no one even knows his name. He adopts the alias of Joshua Alfero, and although the Alvarados try to help him, he falls into despair, and tries to take his life multiple times. One day, Apen enters Greenway, the capital of Gallitan, and discovers that Ansam was bought by Velvare Bamidele, who is actually the revived Bhatair Hollingsworth. The two have a long conversation in which Bhatair encourages Apen to move on, and restores his hope for the future. However, he also forbids him from entering the Greenway, explaining that if he disobeys three times he will be executed. When Apen returns to the Alvarado house, Joe Alvarado gives him a puppy, whom Apen names Melly. All would have been well, but four years later, in the comic's opening scene, Apen is chasing after Melly and sees a kid named Enel. Apen mistakes Enel for someone else and tries to kill him, destroying a priceless book. Enel is really curious about who Apen is. Apen spends the next two years running away from Enel, but unfortunately for him Enel is relentless and finds him as soon as he sets foot in Gallitan. The fact that he made himself famous by saving a ship from Weavers probably didn't help. Physical appearance Apen has black hair that shines blue in the light and brown eyes. His eyes turn blue when experiencing extreme emotion, as he is a descendant of Melete and Syllor. Apen has a darker skin tone than the rest of the main cast. As heir to the throne of Levant, he also has a tattoo across his upper back and shoulders, like the rulers before him.The Silver Eye - 9x24 (also see Laura Hollingsworth's comment below the page) Personality Apen is a perfectionist. He tries to be quiet and controlled but can get frustrated when he is not listened to. He really loves the people he is close to, but he has a cold civility towards people he does not like. Apen's Catholic faith is very important to him, and because of it, he is always striving to become a better person. He hates that he is unable to reach perfection. Due to his devout faith, Apen does not approve of the use of Nedarian curses, since in his view they are an unnatural use of power over creation. Nevertheless, he would like to meet his immortal Nedarian ancestor, Melete Dolan. Apen is wary at times and very smart, as he was trained by a private tutor. He has whole lineages and ancestries memorized, which is what all Shephards do with their own family (Dolan descendants), but Apen takes it to a whole new level. When he was very young, his father, Joshua, made him memorize all of the kings of the neighboring country Bellingrath just so Joshua could one-up Bellingrath's king, Bhatair Hollingsworth. Apen is also obviously good with geography. He is generally prepared, and a bit germaphobic. Relationships April Shephard: April is one of Apen's sisters, and she is said to be his favorite sister. Joe Alvarado: Joe took Apen in after he found him. He cares about Apen a lot. He saved Apen from jumping off the bridge. Berlyne Alvarado: Berlyne is Apen's love interest in the story. Although Berlyne is three years older, it is clear that they both have feelings for each other, though neither have yet admitted it. Berlyne became rather bitter after Apen tried to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. Chara Alvarado: Chara is Berlyne's younger sister, and she and Apen seem to have a friendship like that of siblings. Enel Lanum: Apen does not like Enel. Enel, however, thinks that they are best friends. Melly: Melly is Apen's beloved dog that Joe gave to Apen. Apen loves Melly a lot. References Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Nedarians